by Laura Scott
“I might have to take you up on that offer.” Jared’s voice sounded grim. “Even if I wanted to hire another nurse or paramedic, the training alone is ten to twelve weeks. Not exactly quick relief.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Just take care of Shelly. I’ll figure it out,” Kate promised.
“Thanks.”
Kate hung up the phone. She felt bad for Shelly. Her fellow flight nurse had been so happy to be pregnant. It didn’t seem right that she was now suffering this complication.
“Something wrong?” Ethan halted his sweeping to lean on his broom. The man was determined to get rid of every speck of Silly String.
She nodded. “Shelly is spotting. Her doctor has put her on strict bed rest. Jared’s taking her home and wants to stay with her, but he’s worried about the schedule. With both me and Shelly off, we’re going to need more help.”
Ethan frowned. “My sitter situation is only making matters worse. I’ll call the nanny service again. Maybe if I pay them extra, they’ll find me a quick replacement.”
A tiny voice in the back of her mind wanted to ask exactly why he was having trouble with the nanny service in the first place, but she held her tongue. She wasn’t an expert on childcare by any means, and really, it was none of her business.
During the time he’d been off on his flight, she thought about the startling news he’d tossed at her. His wife, Carly’s mother, had died of cancer. How awful for them. No wonder he was solemn and tense. She remembered how she felt after her best friend David had committed suicide.
Poor Ethan. He needed her now more than ever. Mourning was to be expected, but his daughter was proof he couldn’t grieve forever. When Kate had given Carly her own Hippity Hop and a can of Silly String, sheer joy had brightened her face. Surely, Ethan knew Carly was too young to cling to grief the way an adult might.
Kate headed toward Jared’s office to pick up the schedule from his desk. She sat in an empty computer terminal in the general office area, then accessed the Lifeline staff phone list. Shelly was scheduled for the next day, the same day she herself was scheduled for her MRI. Even if she did get the okay from the doctors to continue working, she couldn’t manage the whole shift. Maybe someone would split it with her.
She only made a couple of phone calls before Ethan came up behind her about five minutes later. “How does it look?”
“Not good.” When he leaned over her shoulder to peer at the schedule on the screen, she sucked in a quick breath. The warm male scent of him clouded her senses, catching her off guard. “I did find someone to work the first half of Shelly’s shift tomorrow. I’m hoping that after my MRI I can fill in the rest.”
“Zane Taylor is going to come in today to finish off my shift. The nanny service promised to have a replacement at my house first thing in the morning.” He paused, and Kate knew if she turned her head, just the littlest bit, her mouth would be at the perfect angle to kiss him. “Guess we’ll be flying together after all.”
“I hope you don’t mind. About the lifting, I mean.” She wanted to kick herself for sounding breathless.
“No.” His voice was deep and husky. “I don’t mind.”
Oh boy. Every nerve in her body tingled with awareness. More rotten timing. Ethan was supposed to be her project, not someone for her hormones to get in a tizzy over. Besides, they were hardly alone, here at Lifeline. Reese and Jenna were somewhere. Carly was, too. She frowned. “So, where’s Carly?”
Ethan abruptly stood, glancing around. “I’m, uh, she was just here a few minutes ago. Wasn’t she?”
A sick feeling clenched in her stomach. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since you told her to get the Hippity Hop out of the hangar and into the lounge.”
“Oh, man.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find her. She can’t be far away.” Kate jumped to her feet. “Check the helicopter. I’ll look around inside.”
Ethan nodded as they both took off in different directions. Kate found the Hippity Hops in the lounge, but no sign of Carly. She checked in every office cubicle before making her way into the hangar.
“Carly, you know better than to climb into the helicopter.” She was relieved when Ethan clearly found his daughter, although his harsh tone made her wince. “It’s not a toy.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“Yeah, I know. But you’re always saying sorry without making any effort to behave.”
Kate hurried over. “How about if I set up a game on the computer? She can play while I finish making calls to fill holes on the schedule.”
“No need.” Ethan’s facial features appeared to be carved from granite. “As soon as Zane shows up, we’re out of here.”
“I understand.” Ethan no doubt felt guilty about misplacing his daughter, even for a minute. She glanced at Carly who looked just as miserable. Being a single father couldn’t be easy for Ethan. Was he still grieving for his wife? The thought bothered her more than she cared to admit. “I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Worked out is stretching it, considering the mess Carly made inside the chopper.” Ethan jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “She opened up supplies and tossed the wrappers everywhere. Reese and Jenna are putting everything back together now.”
Kate shot a curious glance toward Carly. The girl’s head was bent as if she found her feet fascinating. Her tangled hair had long since come down from her pigtails, the tresses still holding remnants of pink Silly String.
“I’m sure Carly didn’t mean to make a mess.” Kate couldn’t help defending the girl. Couldn’t Ethan see his daughter was seeking attention the only way she knew how? “I bet she was playing flight doctor, using the supplies to take care of a really sick patient.”
Carly lifted her head just enough to flash Kate a grateful look.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he didn’t comment. Zane entered the hangar, drawing their gaze. “I’m here, Weber, you’re free to go home.”
“Thanks, Taylor. I owe you one.” Ethan’s tone held unmistakable relief.
“No, it’s not a problem. I have no life.” Zane grinned at Ethan’s daughter. “Hey, Carly. How are you? Are those your Hippity Hops I saw in the lounge on my way in?”
Ethan muttered something not very nice under his breath. “How did you know what those were? You don’t have kids.”
“Doesn’t everyone know about Hippity Hops?” A puzzled frown wrinkled Zane’s brow. At Ethan’s disgusted snort, he shrugged. “Guess not.”
“Thanks again, Zane. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kate.”
“Tomorrow, then. Bye, Carly. I had fun playing with you today.” Kate smiled.
“Me, too. Bye, Kate.” Carly’s forlorn gaze clung to hers as Ethan took her by the hand and led her out, her bedraggled pigtails echoing her sad expression. Kate wanted to follow, to convince Ethan to lighten up a little, but she turned to her computer and to the task of filling the gaping holes in the schedule.
The image of the two of them, both so despondent and lonely, haunted her long after they’d left. Carly had experienced a little fun during their Silly String battle, but what about Ethan?
When was the last time the seriously intense Dr. Ethan Weber had done anything just for fun?
Chapter Five
Ethan tugged a comb through Carly’s wet, tangled hair, attempting without much success to remove the bits of Silly String matted in the silky tresses. Kate. This is all her fault. What strange compulsion had possessed her to buy the darn stuff?
“Ouch, Daddy, that hurts.”
“I know, honey, I’m sorry.” After a few moments, he wondered if he should give up and try again in the morning. Maybe combing the stuff out would be easier if her hair was dry. Too bad he hadn’t thought about trying to brush the spongy foam from her hair before she’d had her nightly bath.
If all else failed, he could always take Carly for a haircut. He didn’t necessarily want to cut her pretty golden hair short, but at least it would eventually grow back.
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“It’s okay.” When he hesitated, Carly quickly denied her earlier complaint. “I don’t mind. I had so much fun today, Daddy. Can we buy some Silly String the next time we go to the store?”
“I don’t know,” he hedged, secretly appalled at the thought. “Remember how hard it was to clean up? Maybe there’s some other toy we could try instead?”
“Okay.” His daughter seemed mollified by his halfhearted promise. “But, remember, you promised we could ride the Hippity Hops before I go to bed.”
See, this was the problem when you made rash promises as a bribe to get your five-year-old in the tub. “I remember. There isn’t much time, so we better get them now.”
“Okay.” Carly eagerly scampered off. Ethan tossed the comb aside and stroked his hands over his face. Man, he was exhausted. Seemed like he had been tired for years. Susan had died just one year ago, but in some ways, it seemed like ten years had passed. When would their life get into some sort of routine? How long would nightmares plague Carly, keeping her up at night?
He heard her giggle as she hopped through the kitchen, barely clearing the doorway to the living room, pulling the second Hippity Hop so that it bounced behind her. He tried to take a stance against bringing them inside. They were really outside toys, but since night had already fallen and there wasn’t enough room in their single-car garage, he’d caved into her desire to bring them into the house for one last ride before bed.
He knew Carly needed discipline, but deep down he was a softy when it came to making his daughter happy.
“Here you go, Daddy.” She glowed, despite her damp, tangled hair, gazing at him expectantly from astride her Hippity Hop.
Thankfully, there was no one else around to see him. Ethan reluctantly straddled the rubber ball and grasped the handle. He felt foolish, bouncing up and down on the thing, but the glee in his daughter’s face was worth every second of feeling ridiculous.
“Come on, Daddy, let’s play follow the leader!” Carly took off through the living room, bumping into the chair and the sofa as she crossed the room. He tried to tag along after her but got stuck.
“I think we may have to wait until we can take these outside to play follow the leader,” he told her.
“Push the sofa out of the way, Daddy, there’s plenty of room.” Her exasperated tone reminded him so much of Kate he lost his grip and almost fell off the ball.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath, steadying himself. He did as Carly commanded and shoved the sofa aside the few inches necessary to allow him to hop through the opening.
Strangely enough, his reluctance to ride such a goofy toy faded after a few minutes. Carly’s laugh was contagious, and he grinned when she led the way through the maze of their house, giggling at his difficulty in following her. Finally, the hour grew late, so he halted the two-person parade. “Okay, that’s enough for now. It’s bedtime, Carly.”
Her tiny face crumpled. “Do I have to?”
Man, he wished there were a way to make this part of the day easier for her. She balked at going to bed because of the nightmares. If he could take the nightmares away from her and have them instead, he would. Helplessly, he nodded. “I’m sorry, but yes. You have to go to bed.”
“I don’t wanna.” She sniffled but didn’t quite break into tears. “I want to see Kate.”
“Oh, honey.” He looked at her helplessly. How could Kate have made such an impression on Carly after a couple of hours? Although, he could admit to being preoccupied with Kate after meeting her, too. “I’m sure we’ll see her again, soon.”
Carly reluctantly abandoned her Hippity Hop and padded toward her bedroom. He followed, standing in the doorway as she painstakingly changed into her nightgown, then headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. He knew she dragged out the nightly ritual as a stalling tactic, but he couldn’t bring himself to scold her.
While he tucked her into bed, she clasped her arms around his neck so tight he thought she might never let go. “Daddy?” Her voice was muffled against his shirt. “Do you think Kate would be my best friend?”
His heart wept, tears welling in his throat. “I don’t know, Carly. She might. Don’t you have a best friend at school?”
She pulled back, then slowly shook her head. “Not like Kate.”
He knew Carly had friends, hadn’t he invited every single one of them over for her birthday party three months ago? That Saturday had been the longest day of his life, trying to rein in ten rambunctious girls. With an involuntary shudder, he tried to remember which ones Carly had seemed closest to. His mind went blank.
What sort of father was he that he didn’t know which friends she liked the best?
And what made his daughter latch on to Kate? “I’m sure Kate would love to be your friend.”
“Good.” She pressed her tiny face against his neck. He held her close, wishing more than anything he could bring his daughter the peace she deserved. “I love you, Daddy. Good night.”
“Good night, honey.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet, innocent scent of baby shampoo. An overwhelming sense of protectiveness washed over him. “I love you, too. Very much. I’ll be here if you need me.”
“I know.” Her words were drowsy, her eyelashes already fluttering closed.
As he eased off her bed, he hoped tonight would be the one where she’d sleep a little longer before waking from her nightmares. Ethan watched her sleep for a few minutes, then turned and walked into the hall, leaving Carly’s bedroom door open a few inches so the bright hallway light could spill into her room.
Padding into the kitchen, he pulled a root beer out of the fridge and carried it into the living room. He intended to turn on the television as a diversion to unwind but ended up stretched out on the sofa, balancing the root beer on his stomach, enjoying the silence.
Unbidden, thoughts of Kate filled his head. The sound of her laughter, the warm glow of her skin, the way her pert nose looked sprinkled with freckles. The sensual, lemony scent of her skin when he’d almost kissed her. Gulping a quick mouthful of the root beer, he shoved the image away. He was only human. He’d been physically attracted to women before meeting Kate, but resisting temptation had always been easy.
Until now.
What made Kate so different from the other women who crossed his path? He tried but couldn’t quite point to anything drastically unique, other than her perpetual cheerfulness and lilting laugh. And wasn’t it strange how Carly, the kid who made every nanny’s life miserable, seemingly had no problem listening to Kate?
Not only had Carly listened to Kate, she even wanted Kate to be her best friend. His chest ached at the loneliness lurking beneath her wistful tone. Was Carly missing her friends because they were on spring break from school? Maybe he needed to arrange some time together with one of her school friends for a sleepover. Although when he tried something similar in the past, Carly’s nightmares had awoken both girls and nearly three hours had passed before they’d finally fallen back asleep.
Ethan grimaced. Inviting a school friend to stay overnight was one answer, but the idea of asking Kate to befriend his daughter lingered in his mind. She knew more than most of the others did about his personal life. After his wife’s death, he switched from his surgical residency to the emergency medicine residency because the hours in the emergency department were regular shifts, making childcare arrangements a little easier.
Or rather, the childcare arrangements would be easier if he could find a nanny who would stick around for more than a few days at a time. The wry thought brought him back full circle. Carly needed someone dependable to count on. Someone who would make her laugh yet toe the line when it came to discipline.
Abruptly, he straightened. Maybe Carly had been right all along. Instead of seeking a mother to replace the one Carly had lost, why not provide his daughter a friend? A best friend? Someone like Kate?
Of course. Asking Kate to be Carly’s friend was the perfect answer to his proble
m. With a rush of relief, he stood and carried his empty root beer bottle into the kitchen. The more he turned the plan over in his mind, the more he liked it. After locking all the doors and shutting off all the lights, he headed to bed.
He looked forward to seeing Kate the next day, and not solely because he needed to talk to her about befriending his daughter. No, he was selfish enough to admit that he had a secret desire to spend time with her, too.
Kate wasn’t claustrophobic by nature, but lying on her back, buried in the long, narrow tube of the MRI machine, she slammed her eyelids shut against a flare of panic. Pretend you’re sleeping, she whispered in her head. You’re taking a long nap. Don’t even think about how close the tube is to your face when your eyes are open.
She concentrated on breathing slow and easy as the machine loudly clanked and whirled around her. Why hadn’t she specifically requested the open MRI? Because she wasn’t claustrophobic, that’s why. If there were ever a next time, which she really hoped there wouldn’t be, she would request the open machine. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the noise stopped.
Opening her eyes, she looked into the smiling face of the MRI technician. “Okay, Ms. Lawrence, we’re all finished here.”
“Great.” Thankfully, she sat up on the table, gently rotating her stiff shoulder. “When will I know the results?”
“Normally, the doctor reads the results at the end of the day.” When Kate’s face fell, the technician hastily added, “I’ll call him for you, if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.” At times like this, it paid to be a nurse. She knew how the system was supposed to work. Normally, the radiologist, Dr. Brooks, would read the MRI results, then call Dr. Hart, the orthopedic resident who ordered the exam. But in her case, she figured she could convince them to stretch the rules. “I’d appreciate knowing the results as soon as possible. Will you ask Dr. Brooks to call me at Lifeline?”
“Sure.” The tech poised his fingers over the keyboard of his computer. “Give me the number.”